The municipal records building sat three blocks from the central transit line. Old concrete structure. Narrow entrance. Security gate that moved slower than the traffic outside. Inside, the air stayed cold no matter how long people worked there.
Elena arrived first.
Alexander followed a few steps behind, tablet already unlocked.
No greetings from the front desk. Just a scanned pass and a directed nod toward the lower archive floor.
The elevator dropped with a steady hum.
Elena spoke first.
"Mateo doesn't usually call like that."
Alexander kept his eyes on the floor indicator.
"He didn't call you as a friend."
She looked at him.
"What do you mean."
"He called because something passed a threshold."
Elena frowned slightly.
"A threshold for what?"
"For exposure," he said. "Someone touched sealed records."
The doors opened.
Rows of steel shelves. File boxes stacked in tight lines. Labels faded from age and handling.
A clerk pushed a cart toward them.
"Request code?"
